Pilot Charged

[Daytona500]

Feds Prosecute Drone Pilot for Mid-Air Collision (U.S. v Hernandez)

The copy of the criminal complaint is located here. On Wednesday, a federal complaint was filed in the Central Federal District Court of California charging Andrew Hernandez with unsafe operation of an unmanned aircraft. It alleges that around 12:35 a.m. a Los Angeles Police Department...

jrupprechtlaw.com

 

[GFields]

I read about this when it happened. It will be interesting to see what his penalty will be.

 

[-MavicMiniPilot]

Huh?

 

[BigAl07]

I restored the "Details" from the first post as once deleted it left the thread completely lost.

 

[BigAl07]

This .... THIS is why we are facing more and more scrutiny and restrictions.

After Miranda warnings were given, the defendant told officers he heard a helicopter and “was curious, got his drone, and flew his drone to see what was going on. . . . He stated that it [was] hard to see the drone at night, but that he recalled seeing the drone’s green light facing him as it was ascending.” He looked down for a couple seconds at the drone controller and as he “looked up again at his drone, he saw the drone being ‘smacked’ by the helicopter, which was hovering.”


The "Buy & Fly" concept is going to make it so much harder to enjoy this hobby/industry in the future. I would LOVE to see some type of "Required Training" and "Proof of Passing" in order to purchase any UAS that has GPS flight, Stabilized Flight, and the ability to fly more than 100' from the Base Station (this would exclude toy drones).

 

[Cafguy]

I remember the good old days of RC flying when if you wanted "in" You needed to turn a pile of balsa into a flying machine before you even thought of getting out to the field, You learned so much in those crucial first steps. Then came the Ready To Fly and any kid with rich parents could walk out of the hobby shop with a 60" Ducted fan jet and all the goodies needed to fly it- No questions asked. It is a bit questionable at the least and those of us who Fly Fixed wing have been grumbling about this for years. The problem is that if we start asking to "vet" these pilots Somehow That only gives the government ammunition to put us all in one place, such as a flying field or "FRIA". The problem is one of responsibility and the sad thing is we won't ever be able to do anything about that.

 

[BigAl07]

I remember the good old days of RC flying when if you wanted "in" You needed to turn a pile of balsa into a flying machine before you even thought of getting out to the field, You learned so much in those crucial first steps. Then came the Ready To Fly and any kid with rich parents could walk out of the hobby shop with a 60" Ducted fan jet and all the goodies needed to fly it- No questions asked. It is a bit questionable at the least and those of us who Fly Fixed wing have been grumbling about this for years. The problem is that if we start asking to "vet" these pilots Somehow That only gives the government ammunition to put us all in one place, such as a flying field or "FRIA". The problem is one of responsibility and the sad thing is we won't ever be able to do anything about that.

I whole heartedly agree with you. We learned to build, create, tweak, and they learned how to FLY the aircraft. It was a "self correcting" or sometimes "self eliminating" hobby. To say the least "those were the days". LOL

Yes it's a slippery slope to say the least but sometimes it's also a necessary risk. No RISK no REWARD? (just kidding lol)

 

[MotoSavy]

I suppose he didn't even do TRUST. It's people like him that makes us look bad.

I don't want a lot of Government intrusion, but pilots need to have to take some Safety and Regulations training. Not everyone needs Part 107, but everyone does need some training on how to safely operate a drone.

I guess TRUST is for that purpose, but many may not even do that.

 

[mavic3usa]

L.A. Drone Pilot Avoids Prison | AIN

The operator of a drone that struck an LAPD AStar last year has been sentenced to a $500 fine and probation.

www.ainonline.com

 

[Cafguy]

The story states- The helicopter was an Airbus Helicopters AStar and- "The Drone struck the helicopter, damaging its nose, antenna, and bottom cowling."
I wonder what the bill from the city will look like for THAT!

 

[bonzo]

Idiot.

 

[Chip]

L.A. Drone Pilot Avoids Prison | AIN

The operator of a drone that struck an LAPD AStar last year has been sentenced to a $500 fine and probation.

www.ainonline.com

The complaint states:

I and other law enforcement officers advised HERNANDEZ of his Miranda rights. HERNANDEZ waived his Miranda rights and agreed to speak with me and other law enforcement officers.

Even though FBI had drone and search warrant, my guess is they would not have been able to prove the controller was in the guy's hands at the time of the flight had he not confessed.

I read about this when it happened. It will be interesting to see what his penalty will be.

$500 fine seems light to me considering he hit a manned aircraft. I wonder if they went easy on him because he cooperated and confessed. Maybe he came across as a foolish but honest person.

 

[Nanny Ogg]

Why would anyone think it is a good idea to fly a drone around a helicopter or any other manned aircraft for that matter.

 

[EricJT]

Even though FBI had drone and search warrant, my guess is they would not have been able to prove the controller was in the guy's hands at the time of the flight had he not confessed.

I can understand why RID is here to stay.....it may assist LEOs in identifying the offender when he or she denys any transgression.

 

[Laggard]

I remember the good old days of RC flying when if you wanted "in" You needed to turn a pile of balsa into a flying machine before you even thought of getting out to the field,

And if you flew it long enough you'd turn it into a pile of sawdust. All planes have an expiration date.

 

[Torque]

And if you flew it long enough you'd turn it into a pile of sawdust. All planes have an expiration date.

If you started like me, it was often that first flight that resulted in a pile of sawdust!

 

[rwilliam99]

If you started like me, it was often that first flight that resulted in a pile of sawdust!

I haven't flown RC planes for years (I used to fly with my brother until he moved away), but the ARF foamies were great for learning - you could crash and with some 5 minute epoxy, usually be back in the air in a few minutes. Once you got the hang of flying with the foamies, then you could build one of the balsa ones. I had one that I flew a LOT until I flew too long one day, ran out of battery on the radio and it powered full speed into the ground - not a lot left after that....

Things have changed a LOT since I last flew an RC plane....

 

[EssenYVR]

$500 fine seems light to me considering he hit a manned aircraft. I wonder if they went easy on him because he cooperated and confessed.

It's beyond me why people try to evade responsibility. It just goes more poorly for them in the end. If you do something stupid, own up to it and beg forgiveness, 9 times out of 10 you'll be better off for it.

 

[MS Coast]

And if you flew it long enough you'd turn it into a pile of sawdust. All planes have an expiration date.

I've flown on some DC-3s in the US and Central America that were probably beyond their "best by" date, but still going strong. (I've made it a habit to look for that metal documentation plate inside the door as I'm boarding.)